The Point of No Return
by Lindous
Summary: "Link remembered all the times that the King of the Red Lions had corrected him, and guided him on his journey. But then when he saw the boat, he realized that the eyes were closed." Oneshot. Takes place directly after the events in Wind Waker when Link in Tetra were found outside of Hyrule.


**_Sorry about the frequent updating on this one. _**

* * *

_As Link meekly looked up at the King Hyrule, he could have sworn he saw the hint of tears in the eyes of his friend._

_"Please...forgive us," the King of the Red Lions cried softly, "For what we have taken from you is unforgivable..."  
_

_And as Link watched his companion, who felt as though he had been the cause of the misfortune that had befallen Tetra and Link. His foolishness had caught up to him, had capture him like a cruel snare._

_Within a moment, water came cascading onto the top of the castle with the force of a broken dam. Tetra and Link both flinched away from the water before realizing a moment later that they would not be consumed, but carried to its surface. _

_Flailing his arms in a desperate attempt to grab his friends hand, Link watched, with h__is hand out, as his friend was swallowed by the darkness. _

_Hyrule had seen light for the last time, and with it had drowned Ganon and the land's king. _

* * *

"KOMALI! Hurry up and get them out of the water!"

Link blinked his eyes open slowly, his limbs heavy. Komali was gently hovering right in front of him, and bent down to examine Link for a moment before he lifted Link and Tetra out of the water, and a moment later, Link felt himself land with a soft thud onto what he later realized was Tetra's ship.

"She's out cold! Get her to room! Mako, take care of her!"

"Yes Gonzo!" Mako said, rushing after a group of pirates that were tending to Captain Tetra.

Gonzo turned around to see Link peering up at him from where he was on the ground. Gonzo stared back at Link, slightly dumb founded.

"My boat," Link croaked, still only slightly awake. "Where is my boat?"

Gonzo paused to give Link a look of absolute confusion.

"Kid, you are in no condition to travel on your own."

"..But my boat is dying..."

"LINK!" Aryll shouted, running over from the upper deck. "Mr. Gonzo, he needs help!"

"I know. He's in shock," Gonzo said, bending over and picking Link up. "Come with me, Aryll."

Aryll nodded excitedly, and followed Gonzo as he carried Link below deck and gently deposited the boy on one of the small cots that made up the crew's quarters.

Link's gaze shifted around the halls that Gonzo carried him through before he was finally set onto a small cot and wrapped in a blanket.

"He has a fever," Aryll said quietly, a look of concern crossing her face. "Is there any red potion left?"

* * *

Link blinked his eyes open slowly, scrunching his eyes up at the taste of red potion still in his mouth. The room was silent, and a small lantern rested on the table beside his cot.

Tentatively stepping off of the cot, Link hobbled toward the door. As he rounded a corner and entered the hall, Link paused in shock, seeing the King of Hyrule reaching out for him. The hall went dark, and suddenly Link felt as though he were back on the top of Hyrule castle, only this time, he had no cover from the water. Link flailed his arms as he choked, his lungs burning for air.

He turned and smacked one of his hands against the wooden floor. Opening his eyes, Link realized he was still on the pirate ship, still alive. It had felt real, and he felt afraid. Slowly, Link made his was toward the main deck.

The ship was docked at small pier on Outset Island, and the sun was only just starting to rise. Already, the crew was busy at work, scrubbing the floor, washing cloths, and chaining down barrels of supplies.

Link slowly limped toward the dock, and looked down at his feet for the first time. One of his legs was heavily bandaged, and slightly red near the long laceration on his calf that was now covered. Carefully stepping off onto the dock, Link watched as his sister came running out of the house.

"Big brother! You're awake!" Aryll yelled, running out onto the dock and flinging her arms around him. "You're okay! We were so worried after we got you and Tetra out of the water...It's been a week. Tetra woke up yesterday, but you had a few more severe injuries...but the bruised ribs should disappear in another week or so!" Aryll said, closing her eyes and smiling cheerfully.

"H-How long was I out for?" Link asked groggily, and his eyes half-closed.

"About three days," Aryll said, her voice shifting to a tone of concern. "How are you feeling?"

"Umm...Kind of sleepy..." Link said quietly.

Aryll smiled, rocking on her feet. "Same old Link!" she laughed.

"Link! Welcome back to the land of the living!" Tetra called from up at the crow's nest of her ship. She laughed.

"Oi! Miss Tetra! You shouldn't really be up there!" Gondo called from the bottom of the ladder.

Tetra grinned. "Relax, Gonzo! I'm not gonna hurt myself!"

Gondo shook his head, and stepped off deck, still looking slightly anxious. He bent down and began to examine Link. "She's been acting way more recklessly since she woke up," Gondo said quietly to Link. "Could you talk to her, when you get the chance? Oh, and plus half the island is waiting for you to come say hi. Niko promised he would help you sort all of that out."

Tetra laughed from where she was at the top of the crow's nest, and slid down the ladder before she began to give commands to her crew.

* * *

It wasn't until a few hours later, after Niko and Link had visited most of the people on Outset Island, that the Tetra's crew had chosen to show Link what had become of his boat. It was a sunny day, and everyone seemed thrilled to see Link alive.

The boat itself was tied to the dock. Link grinned when he saw it, running forward as fast as he could, and stopping short of the end of the dock. As he ran, pictures flashed through his mind of the King of the Red Lions, every time the boat swung his head to gently correct Link, to guide him, to remind him all this time why he was on his journey when he felt discouraged or defeated, and Link couldn't help but to at least desire to look upon the face of his dear friend.

He felt his heart stop when he saw the face of his boat, and his smile disappeared. The eyes of the boat were closed. After what felt like a century, Link felt his knees buckle and finally hit the floor of the dock, but the sensation of falling wouldn't stop. He had finally broken down. Niko only stared at him, taken aback.

Link didn't notice as the rest of the crew, save for Tetra, gathered by the side of the ship. He didn't notice when some of the people stepped outside their houses for what they thought would be another happy moment, and then stared in shock as Link began sobbing. He didn't notice when his grandmother and Aryll had slowly helped him to his feet, and half-carried, half-dragged him back to the house.

And all this time, Link hadn't noticed Tetra, peering down from her favorite perch at the top of the crow's nest, watching all of this unfold.

* * *

Dark water was surrounding Zelda as she reached out for Link. He flailed, choking and gagging, and trying to hang onto her and to grab the King Hyrule. King Hyrule seemed to smirk, slapping his hand away and laughing. He peeled off his coat and crown to suddenly morph into Ganon.

Ganon raised his twin swords, while Zelda and Link were both suspended in un-moving water, and thrust them both forward.

* * *

Link jolted out of bed, sweat running down his forehead. As he remembered where he was, grief began to return to him.

Stepping out of bed, Link slowly limped out of his house and made his way toward Tetra's ship. If there was such a thing as a good time to talk to her, then why no now?

A few minutes later, Tetra's eyes blinked open when she heard a small knock on her door. Scowling, she got up and yanked her cabin door open.

"Hey," Link whispered quietly. "Can we talk?"

Tetra stepped back from the door. "Um...yeah..." she said slowly. She stepped aside as Link hobbled into the small cabin, and then quietly shut the door.

"You've been avoiding me lately," Link said bluntly. "Are you doing all right?"

Tetra felt herself turn slightly red. "Well, you've been out for awhile," she said, flustered.

"And even when I woke up I wasn't able to see you. The only thing I got was a 'Welcome back.'"

Tetra looked down at the floor. After a long pause, she broke the silence.

"I couldn't do it."

Link cocked his head to one side, forgetting his grief for a moment. "What do you mean?"

Tetra's face crumbled, and her hands slid over her eyes. "I mean I couldn't do it, you idiot! I woke up! All of this-" Tetra gestured with both arms out away from her yelling angrily, her voice sounding broken"-all of this should just be a dream! Nobody should have been hurt! And instead, all of this happens! I wasn't supposed to be any of this! People's lives got destroyed! All because of-"Tetra yanked the gold chain that once held her piece the Triforce off her neck "-this stupid, idiotic...Argh!"

Tetra through the chain across the room, watching it land and slide between the floor boards. She began to sob. "And talking to you, and remembering what happened at the top of the castle...It makes this all real!" she screamed the last part of the sentence, trembling.

Link let her cry for a moment before drawing in a deep breath. He placed a hand on Tetra's shoulder. "It's okay," he said quietly, "It's all okay..."

* * *

"Grandma! Can I have some more?" Niko called, holding out his wooden bowl.

"I am not your Grandma, and yes," Link's grandmother said quietly, pouring a ladle of soup into Niko's bowl. He and all of the other crew members were enjoying soup that had been made for them.

"So then he was all like, 'let's launch 'em,' and then I was all like 'Nooooo...'" Gonzo related, and the crew laughed.

Tetra raised an eyebrow. "If I remember correctly, Gonzo," she said, stepping down her soup bowl after a long sip, "Then you were the one leading the charge to shoot down that terrible bird. At least, if I saw correctly from where I was at in the air."

"I saw him," Link said with a grin, "giving the signal for cannonfire."

Gonzo grinned sheepishly while the rest of the crew laughed. In another day, they would be leaving Outset to go back to treasure hunting. The only condition that Tetra had agreed to for not retiring the crew was if Link had become a part of it.

* * *

No more flailing. Choking, at first, but as soon as he had stopped struggling, Link realized he could breathe. Zelda had already floated to the surface, and Link had pushed her upward to make sure she would be okay. He himself had managed to stay just long enough to see the King of Hyrule hold up his hand when Link reached out to him.

But he didn't grasp it.

Link felt the ocean gently pull him upward as the king lowered his hand.

"_But child,__" a voice echoed. "It will be your land. _ Another long pause, and then as if to nobody, the voice said, "_I have scattered...the seeds of the future."_


End file.
